Attendance Expectations for Parents

Regular school attendance is essential for your child’s academic success, wellbeing, and social development. We ask all parents and carers to work in partnership with the school to ensure students attend regularly and arrive on time each day.

Our Expectations

Parents and carers are expected to:

• Ensure their child attends school every day unless they are genuinely unwell or there is an exceptional circumstance.
• Ensure their child arrives at school on time and is prepared for learning.
• Notify the school as soon as possible on the first day of any absence.
• Provide appropriate evidence or explanation for absences when requested.
• Arrange medical appointments, holidays, and other non-essential activities outside school hours.
• Maintain up-to-date contact information with the school.
• Respond promptly to communication regarding attendance concerns.

Reporting an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, please:

1. Contact the school before the start of the school day.
2. Provide your child's name, year group, and reason for absence.
3. Keep the school informed if the absence continues for more than one day.

Safe and Well home visits

Safe & Well home visits may be conducted by our Attendance Team when a student is absent from school. We conduct these regardless of whether we have received notification from parents/carers in relation to the reason your child is absent from school. This may be on the first, second or third day of absence. Please note if we are not able to conduct a safe and well visit and see the student after 72 hours, we may notify South Yorkshire Police and Social Care.

Holidays During Term Time

We strongly discourage holidays during term time, as they can significantly impact a child's learning and progress.

The Department of Education does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.

If you still wish to take your child out of school during term time – please complete a Leave of Absence form which can be collected from the attendance office.

Please note: All leave of absence requests will be classed as unauthorised, unless you receive confirmation in writing from the school that the Leave of absence has been authorised.  There are no exceptions.

Penalty Notices

Please be aware of the new legislation by the Government, from August 2024 the PENALTY NOTICE, for school absences across the country will be charged at £160 if paid within 28 days, this will reduce to £80 if paid within 21 days.

If a parent receives a SECOND PENALTY NOTICE for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days. (no reduction if paid earlier)

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period for the same child. 

Once this limit has been reached, other action’s may be considered like an Attendance contract, Education Supervision Order or Prosecution, these will be considered if the school attendance of the child is not secured.

The school works together with the Local Authority to ensure that parents/carers fulfil their responsibility. There are a range of legal sanctions that may be imposed for dealing with unauthorised absence: Education Penalty Notices, Parenting Contracts and Orders, Education Supervision Orders or referral to the Magistrates Court which can recommend fines (up to £2500) or up to 3 months in prison.   

Punctuality Matters

Arriving late can disrupt learning for your child and others. Parents should ensure children:

• Leave home with sufficient time to arrive punctually.
• Attend all lessons and school activities on time.
• Develop positive habits that support future success.

All Students are expected to arrive on site by 8.40am, ready to start learning at 8.45am.

Any student who arrives late will sign in at student services, be marked as late and will receive a C3 Late detention.

Working Together

The school monitors attendance regularly and will contact families where attendance falls below expected levels. We are committed to working collaboratively with parents and carers to identify barriers to attendance and provide appropriate support where needed.

Attendance Target

Our aim is for every student to achieve at least 97% attendance throughout the school year. Excellent attendance helps students make the most of their educational opportunities, build positive relationships, and reach their full potential.

What is good attendance?

Attendance percentages are not like examination results: an attendance percentage needs to be in the high nineties before it can be considered good. Consider the following examples: –

• An attendance record of 90% might seem good but is equal to 1 day missed per fortnight. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of six month’s education will be lost.
• An attendance record of 80% might seem acceptable but is equal to 1 day missed per week. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of one year’s education will be lost.

Why is good attendance important?

Good attendance at school is vital for students to achieve their full educational potential. Students with good attendance benefit in the following ways: –

• Continuity of learning which improves progress, resulting in less gaps in knowledge and improved retention.
• Improved performance in coursework grades and examinations.
• Building strong relationships, friendships and feeling a sense of belonging.
• Good references for further education or employment.

Thank you for supporting your child's education through regular attendance and punctuality. Together, we can help every child succeed.